Toronto Police are investigating a report of hate mail which was sent to Newtonbrook Secondary School in North York over its new course addressing  anti-Black racism.

On Feb. 17, last,  the school received  an envelope with no return address. Inside, was a copy of  a newspaper article about the school’s new course on deconstructing anti-Black racism, which was scrawled over with racist remarks.

“N—— have taken over the school system!” the anonymous

sender wrote, along with a note about not wanting their children to attend school with Black boys.

1. Tyler Robinson, co-author and project lead of the course, said that the tone of the letter, coming from an adult or parent, doesn’t surprise him.

“Kids aren’t the issue. The student interest is not the issue,” Robinson said. “Parents with fixed notions of how things are, and other community members at large with fixed notions of how things are, this is where the problem lies.”

The Grade 12 university prep course “Deconstructing anti-Black Racism in the Canadian and North American Context” covers language, the history of Black people in North America, media stereotypes and how oppression connects to other groups.

It was written by four past and present Newtonbrook teachers over the summer of 2020, and the team has been working to bring it to other schools around the province. At least six will be teaching it next year.